Master storyteller, old-time fiddler, and award-winning radio producer Joe McHugh loves traveling to different regions of the United States to record people telling their family stories. Many of these stories have been featured on programs for public radio including NPR’s Morning Edition, Weekend America, and Inside Appalachia. They have also been heard numerous times on the international English-language service of Voice of America.

In this interactive virtual presentation for libraries, museums, cultural organizations, and senior centers, Joe chronicles his adventures as a “story catcher” and talks about the kinds of family stories we love to tell and why we tell them. He will also discuss how family stories are not limited solely to those with a biological connection but can extend to anyone who shares a passion or vocation with others. What’s more, he demonstrates the various ways family stories can be used in literary works such as novels, memoirs, and poems as well as other creative mediums such as film, plays,
music composition, podcasting, and puppetry.

Have you considered recording your own or a family member’s stories? What medium is best: text, audio, or video? What equipment would you need for audio or video recording? What free or inexpensive software is available for editing your recording?

And perhaps you have a short family story you would be willing to share with others during the event. What story goes with your favorite heirloom? What challenges did a ancestor face coming to America, escaping the Dustbowl, joining a labor union, or going off to war? Maybe you have a story about a hippie brother or cousin, an ancestor who helped lessen the suffering of others, the family’s teller of tall tales, or family member who found a treasure, or lost one.

Funny, sad, sometimes outrageous, Joe McHugh weaves together a complex tapestry of cherished stories that rekindle the imagination and remind us of what it means to be human.

Program Duration – 1 Hour